Spain is for the first time in its history, the new World Cup champions, after beating the Netherlands 1-0, with a goal scored by Iniesta only three minutes before the end of extra-time, when many thought the game would go into a penalty shoot-out.
Before the game started, Soccer City stadium erupted into light and music for the World Cup closing ceremony, with singers performing a medley of local music from urban hip-hop to cappella chorals. Colombian superstar Shakira performed her song Waka Waka, the tournament’s official anthem, with local band Freshlyground, as well as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African cappella act.
Former president Nelson Mandela and his wife Graça Machel got a standing ovation from a 95,000 strong crowd when they were wheeled into the stadium in a golf car, in a brief appearance at Soccer City.
We viewed the match from a big screen presentation at a restaurant in a local shopping mall. Every TV in all of South Africa was tuned to this history-making final match. It is estimated that there were 500 million viewers all over the world. In addition to the first World Cup on African soil, each of the teams in the final had never won a World Cup. So, a new champion emerged from this contest.
South Africa’s triumph in being host to the World Cup can no longer be questioned. The cost and the lasting effect, however, are yet to be determined. Every day and every night during the Cup, the South African Broadcasting Corporation has called on its people to “feel it, it is here.”
We can say that we were among the nearly 500,000 visitors to this history-making event -- we feel it, it is here!!! The pride of being African during this overwhelingly successful event -- hosted in nine cities, 10 stadiums, and a host of tourist attractions all over the country -- is something we will carry with us as a memory of a lifetime.
We have one more week to spend with friends and reflect on our fantastic journey. Stay tuned for our final missives.
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